| | |  | Remote Access | Home » » » Upgrading and Repairing PCs (20th Edition) | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | “…a comprehensive resource for PC enthusiasts and professionals alike. Packed with the latest speeds and feeds, you’ll want to keep this book on-hand as an authoritative technology reference.” –Chris Angelini, Managing Editor, Tom’s Hardware For 20 years, Upgrading and Repairing PCs has been the world’s #1 guide to PC hardware: the single source for reliable information on troubleshooting and fixing problems, adding hardware, optimizing performance, and building new PCs. Now, better than ever, this 20th Edition offers beefed-up coverage of the newest hardware innovations and maintenance techniques, plus more than 90 minutes of new DVD video. Scott Mueller delivers practical answers about PC processors, motherboards, buses, BIOSes, memory, storage, video, audio, I/O, input devices, networks, Internet connectivity, power, and much more. You’ll find the industry’s best coverage of diagnostics, testing, and repair–plus cutting-edge discussions of improving performance via overclocking and other techniques. Mueller has taught thousands of professionals in person and millions more through his books and videos–nobody knows more about keeping PCs running perfectly. Whether you’re a professional technician, a small business owner trying to save money, or a home PC enthusiast, this is the only PC hardware book you need! NEW IN THIS EDITION - The newest processors, including Intel’s 2nd generation Core i3, i5, i7 plus the Atom, and AMD’s new VISION series CPUs
- 3TB (and larger) disks, 4K sectoring, partition alignment, faster SATA disk interfaces, and SSD (Solid State Drive) hard drive replacements
- New firmware innovations, from full UEFI BIOS support to built-in motherboard flash BIOS upgrade utilities
- Integrated video and audio, including 5.1/7.1 surround sound, HDMI, and DisplayPort connections
- Updated PCI Express and Power Supply specifications for powering high-end video cards
- Emerging interfaces such as USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt
- Updated coverage of building PCs from scratch–from choosing and assembling hardware through BIOS setup and troubleshooting
ON THE DVD Get more than 90 minutes of up-to-the minute, studio quality how-to videos–all playable on your DVD player or computer! In this edition, Scott Mueller offers true insider information about several of the key components in a PC, including hard disk drives, power supplies, motherboards, and more. You will see hard drives completely dissected–even see an open hard drive in operation–so you can observe exactly what happens under the covers. One of the most common causes of failure in modern motherboards, power supplies, and many other PC components are bad capacitors–otherwise known as the capacitor plague. Mueller will show several real-world examples of this “disease,” so you can easily identify and perhaps even repair the problem. Finally, because external hard drives are now commonly used for supplementary storage and backups, you’ll find a complete discussion of several alternatives on the market. This includes tips and tricks for building or assembling your own flexible, high performance and highly reliable external storage drives, with several examples shown. This DVD also contains the complete 19th edition of this book in printable form, plus extensive technical reference material, a comprehensive glossary, and more! | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Scott M. Mueller | | Hardcover:
| 1104 pages | | Publisher:
| Que | | Publication Date:
| August 26, 2011 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0789747103 | | Product Length:
| 9.2 inches | | Product Width:
| 7.3 inches | | Product Height:
| 2.6 inches | | Product Weight:
| 4.45 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.4 inches | | Package Weight:
| 4.0 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 22 reviews |
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| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 22 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 A quality in-depth guideOct 20, 2011
By Lex Rex
First, the physical book has a hard cover, quality paper, clear crisp font. I like the 'contents at a glance' along with a detailed contents section. The index seems complete and accurate. Each page has the section description, chapter # at the top, and page # bold/lager font. The book is loaded with useful tables and figures. Many of the tables have expansion of acronyms for quick reminder. Throughout the book are pointers to locations that expand on a specific topic.
Second, the contents are in depth, up to date (as best can be done), and easy to understand.
I have a vintage 2000 Dell desktop system. I planned to use the power supply unit and case for a new build. Thanks to this book, I discovered that the PSU is non-standard and not recommended for upgrade.
If you are interested in upgrading or repairing your PC, get this book. You won't be disappointed.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Authoritative and Comprehensive PC ReferenceOct 14, 2011
By Fred Sabin
Fred Sabin (President, New Jersey Computer Club) Review - October 13, 2011
The New Jersey Computer Club (NJCC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about computer systems, software, and their uses; providing community service to charities and educational groups; and sharing knowledge and social activities with other computer enthusiasts. A frequent topic of discussion, and a major need of our membership, is how to upgrade, troubleshoot, and repair their computer systems. In my opinion, this book continues to be the most authoritative and comprehensive reference on everything associated with these topics. Authored by well-known Scott Mueller and published by Que Publishing, this up-to-date (1081 page) resource book comes with an instructional and reference DVD, including the complete 19th edition of this book. Detailed technical information is very well presented in an easy to read format with extensive diagrams, figures, and tables that both illustrate concepts and organize historical and statistical data for clarity of understanding and ease of use.
There are two main ways of using this book. First, you can utilize it as a learning tool to gain knowledge about an area of interest, such as a particular component of a computer system. Second, you can utilize it as a technical reference, to find detailed information on a specific computer topic or component. Of major importance is the fact that the text covers not only current data and information, but also historical content on older systems and components that may still be in use.
The chapter on "PC Diagnostics, Testing and Maintenance" is of special interest, as troubleshooting problem systems is a significant concern for our membership. The chapter on "Building or Upgrading Systems" is also very important for those who need assistance in replacing or adding system components.
To supplement this book Scott Mueller has a forum website [...], and the Que Store book reference page also has excellent supplemental articles on "Free Tools for Troubleshooting and Fixing PC Issues", "Backup Your Computer and Save Your (Computing) Life" and "Secunia PSI".
I have personally used prior editions of Upgrading and Repairing PCs for many years, and I have always found the content to be very accurate, informative and useful. I have never read an entire book, but I know what is available in each book and where to find it, and when you need the information it is very satisfying to know that you have it readily accessible.
This book is essential for our User Group personnel who provide technical assistance and support for our membership, and it is very strongly recommended to all our NJCC members as a learning and self help tool for their own benefit.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Best in ShowNov 14, 2011
By BluegrassPicker
This is an absolutely splendid book. I have used previous editions upon occasion, but since I was about to try my hand at building my own PC, I spent considerably more time reading sections in this new (20th) edition -- which, by the way, is very much up to date. Mueller's book contains an unbelievable wealth of information, much more than any one person is likely to require. But the volume is so well organized and indexed that it's easy to find what you're looking for.
Although professionals will surely find this book indispensable, Mueller's explanations are so clear that they will usually be intelligible to lay readers who have a little background in technology. Moreover, the text is supplemented by an excellent and large collection of photos and drawings.
For any first-time builder, Chapter 19 is especially valuable. Other chapters are very helpful for making component selections. Or, if you're just interested in seeing what's inside the box, this will tell you everything you want to know.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Great value for money... Except for one small thing!Mar 22, 2012
By ttview
Let me start off by saying that 5 stars doesn't even do this book (or any of Scott's publications) justice. I just chose the 3 star rating because I wanted this review to stand out. This book and its previous versions, has become the bible of the pc enthusiast many moons ago, and I can't possibly praise it highly enough. CLOSE YOUR EYES AND BUY IT... NOW!
So why not 5 stars? Well it's a really small matter of opinion, but since this is the 5th edition of the book that I have owned, my opinion may be something to consider for others who have the previous versions, and also for the author.
When I compare the 19th edition to this one, I get the feeling that there is still a ton of "legacy" or "historic" information inherited by the 20th edition that you will never really get any significant benefit from knowing in 2011-12; simply because of how rapidly technology has advanced over the past 7 or 8 years. The Information is priceless if that is what you're after, but if you take the title of this book at face value, then you will be skipping over quite a bit of information before you get to the parts that will be relevant to any upgrade or repair on a pc that a reader (you) would be undertaking. I don't mean any of this offensively, but I just felt as if more information could have been exposed regarding newer technology and standards and maybe in greater depth too if the book didn't have to address so many historical details. As I continued to read, that feeling became so strong that I actually wonder if maybe the time has come for Scott to publish a new title "THE HISTORY OF PCs 1st edition" with all of the information pertinent to legacy devices in it so that the "UPGRADING AND REPAIRING PCs" title series can continue to focus more on technology still existing in pcs within recent years.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Upgrading and Repairing PCsOct 10, 2011
By James J. Billingsley
I have been using Scott Mueller's Books for over ten years.
This is an excellent reference for both the semi-professional and professional IT specialists.
As for the novice, this could be considered a must have resource to research what that PC has under the hood.
See all 22 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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